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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

9.11.01 - Where was God that day?

It's hard to believe, but it's been 11 years since the Twin Towers in NYC fell. What a tragic day that was. I remember I was a junior in college & was sitting in our living room eating breakfast, getting ready to go to class when I saw the news. I watched the newscasters talk about the first plane crashing into the first tower, confused by how a pilot could have been so off, only to see the second plane hit. It was horrific. My roommates & I couldn't even speak. School was cancelled that day & all we did was sit & watch. There didn't really seem like there was anything else we could do. I felt helpless. And my heart broke for all of the people who were involved & lost loved ones. I couldn't stop the tears over this great tragedy.

The only other thing I could do from my little apartment was pray. Pray for protection over the people who were going in to rescue those caught in the fire, putting their own life on the line. Pray for the families whose lives were forever changed. Pray for people to turn to God instead of blaming Him. Pray for the attacks to stop. Pray for those who were involved in crashing the planes, that somehow God would enter into their lives & turn them away from the evil in their hearts. Pray for our President & those in leadership of our country, that they would make the best decisions as to how to move forward. I cannot imagine the amount of responsibility that was put on his/their shoulders, as America looked to them to move forward, but also to not ever let something like this happen again.

So many people ask how God could allow something like this to happen. How does he allow such evil things to happen to good people. But I don't think it was His plan at all. He doesn't want to see his children, his creation suffer. There is evil in the world, doing anything in it's power to turn people away from Christ. I believe that this situation hurt the heart of God, just as much, if not more than it hurt mine & yours as well. It's not how he created life to be. Some day, all evil will be wiped away & there will be no more pain & suffering. I cannot wait for that day! Here's a reference to what I'm talking about, taken from "The Message", which has been quoted as "The Bible in Contemporary Language" on their website. It takes often-times hard to understand texts & simplifies them into our current language, making it a bit easier to comprehend. If I'm having a hard time understanding what the Bible is saying, I'll often times go to The Message version to try & get a handle on it.

I just love that! It speaks so much to the heart of God. He wants everyone to change & to come to Him, because he loves us so much!

I heard so many stories in the days, weeks, & months after this tragic event, of people who missed their bus, or forgot something at home & turned around to go back & were late for work that day, which allowed them to not be in the towers. I don't think that was a coincidence, I think that was the hand of God. If you've got a story like that, I'd love to hear it!

Today we pause & we remember the people who sacrificed back on that September fall day, & are still sacrificing their lives for our freedom. We are forever grateful to them. Thank you for your sacrifice. And to the families & to the people who lost a loved one over those long, gruelling days, know that we mourn with you still today. We don't know how it felt, but we are sorry for your loss & continue to hold you up in our prayers as you continue to try to live each moment & each day without your loved-one. May God give you the peace & the comfort that you need.